The Third Renegade
by AnimeGirl 144
Summary: AU Set after Tagged. Beck needs an army, and Mara is willing to fight for the cause. She just needs a little training; but she's Renegade material.
1. The Newest Renegade

**After reading various Mara-joins-as-the-Renegade stories, I've decided I wanted to try my hand. This is, obviously, set at Episode 14. This story will continue on through Season One, and will continue into a Season Two.**

**I haven't watched Tagged for a while, so I can't remember what Mara said. I chose what sounds like something she'd say.**

**I don't own** _Uprising_**. This is probably obvious, but hey, just to be on the safe side.**

* * *

"I'm still with you," Mara said, clenching her fist in determination. "I'm ready for this, no matter what the risk may be."

Beck stood staring at his closest friend, weighing the options. Her friends were only useful to spread around propaganda; to get the other programs on their side. Mara was clever, and a determined program. She showed promise, but he would have to train her combat skills better; he didn't want a repeat of her falling again. Beck had been silent far longer than he thought, because Mara continued, trying to persuade him more.

"I know I'm not as good as you, but I'm ready to give my all to the cause. It's not right that you're doing this alone," Mara argued. "I know I'll need training, and I'm ready for it."

"Alright," Beck said, cutting the program off before she could continue. "You've passed."

"I've...passed?" she repeated.

"You've shown courage and skill that will be useful to the rebellion. It's true you'll need better combat training, but that can be taught," Beck answered. "You qualify as the next Renegade."

Mara's eyes brightened at the words, though she was quite shocked that she would be thought of the next Renegade.

_Wait_, she thought when she repeated his words.

"Next?" she asked. "Aren't you the real Tron?"

Beck smirked behind his visor, and turned to his ride.

"Our next location will reveal everything," Beck responded. "Get on."

Mara followed after hesitantly, wondering what he meant, but decided to trust him anyways. Plus, she was curious about where they were going next. She wrapped her arms around his chest and held on as he flew through the city, and then out of the city.

_How far into the Outlands are we going?_ she thought as they approached the mountain that was visible from Argon City.

* * *

Tron watched as Beck and Mara arrived at the base. Personally, Tron wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring on yet another program so early, but he decided to trust Beck's decision, and let the young program handle her. He powered down his machine and walked to the side of elevated platform, waiting for the two to enter. Beck entered first with his guest trailing behind in awe.

"This is Headquarters," Beck explained to Mara. "We operate from here."

"We?" Mara repeated before she turned her attention to the program already in the room.

Her body freezes in shock when she sees the face she, along with many other programs, have come to memorize. Tron gives her a small nod with a small smile. He could already tell what was running through her mind, and felt it was best to make her feel a little more welcomed.

"You're... But if you're..." she turned her attention to Beck and then back to Tron. "Did you clone yourself?"

Tron raised an eyebrow at the question and looked over at his protégé, who shrugged back to his mentor. Mara followed their actions.

"But... you're Tron," she said, pointing to Tron.

"Yes," he responded with a nod.

"But... If you weren't the one who recruited me. Then who's this?" she asked, pointing to Beck.

"He's also Tron," the older program responded. "Just not in the sense you would know him."

"Huh?" Mara asked.

"Think of me as a symbol," Beck imputed. "The real Tron is him, but I'm the Tron symbol. Does that help?"

"Not really. I'm horribly confused," Mara answered, before a floodgate of questions exited her mouth. "Why isn't Tron Tron? Why are you Tron? Why am I supposed to be the next Renegade? And _who are you_?"

Tron stepped down from the upper level, shaking his head at Beck.

"Even I made it simple for you to understand when I recruited you," Tron stated.

"I was trying to go for secrecy," Beck shrugged.

"Hello! Can I get an answer?" Mara demanded before she remembered who she was in the presence of and added, "Please?"

"I can't tell you why I'm not going out through Argon as Tron just yet," Tron answered. "When you learn of it, it will make sense. As for whom this Tron is..."

It was an open invitation for Beck, and the program deactivated his helmet and visor. He opened his eyes and watched as the shock flitted over Mara's face. He was unsure of his friend's reaction, but he gave her a small smile. She studied him for a few seconds more... and then promptly slapped him on the face. Not a light slap; she left a red mark.

"I...should have expected that," Beck commented as he touched the hit.

"You _jerk_," she seethed. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"That would be because of me," Tron answered, drawing her attention. "Beck, as Tron or the Renegade, is fighting the state, and Tessler is determined to wipe him off the Grid. Had he let you or anyone close to him in on his secret, you would all be in danger. The less programs who knew about his dual identities, the safer they would be."

Mara allowed the answer to sink in.

"I did want to tell you and Zed," Beck spoke up. "I didn't want to hide it from you two, but it was safer to keep you out of the loop rather than in it."

"While I understand why you did it," Mara responded, "I'm still not happy with it."

"Understandable," Beck responded.

"Hand me your disc," Tron instructed, holding out his hand to her.

Mara blinked before following the instruction.

"What do you need it for?" she asked.

"Do you want to be a Renegade?" Tron asked, grabbing the disc but not taking it.

Mara was silent for only a second before her determination returned in full force, and she gave him a nod.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to return Argon to the way it was before C.L.U. and his men arrived," Mara responded.

Tron nodded, but he still didn't take the disc.

"We're not just going to stop his forces in Argon," Tron explained. "We're going to rid the Grid of his army."

"I'll do it," Mara answered quickly.

"You're sure?" Tron questioned.

"I haven't wanted anything more than this," Mara responded passionately. "I'll do whatever it takes, and I won't disappoint."

"Alright," he nodded, taking the disc and going into the schematics.

"He's formatting your disc to fit your new uniform," Beck explained as his mentor busied with the disc.

Tron snapped the disc a certain way before handing it back to Mara. The younger program took the device, looked to Tron and Beck for a moment, before putting it back on. Almost instantly, her outfit changed. It was still black with blue lights, but it was now in the Renegade's design. In the middle of her chest was Tron's symbol, glowing yellow instead of blue like the other designs on her outfit. Mara looked herself over in awe.

"This...this is incredible," she said.

"You can switch between your normal design and the Renegade by turning your disc a certain way," Tron explained. "I've encoded it to do so. Do not lose that disc. If Tessler's men got a hold of it, everything we've worked for could be lost."

Mara nodded her head, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone get their hands on it," she vowed.

Tron gave a curt nod.

"Beck will be your primary trainer," he explained. "I will provide you with some training of my own, but since Beck has chosen you to be the next Renegade, you will be learning from him."

Mara nodded again.

"When do we begin?" she asked.

"Later," Beck responded. "For now, we need to go back to the Garage before Able gets worried."

"What will we do about Able?" Mara asked. "I mean, he may get suspicious and all if he sees us two run off."

"Leave your boss to me," Tron answered, cutting off Beck, who had looked ready to speak up.

Mara wanted to voice another question, but decided against it. She'd just ask Beck when the two were on their way back to the Garage.

"As Beck said, you two had better head back to the Garage before Able starts looking for you," Tron stated, making his way back up to the computer.

"C'mon," Beck said, changing his design from Tron to his normal look. "You can borrow one of the light cycles."

Mara followed suit, and after obtaining a light cycle baton, the two programs went back to Argon city. Curfew was still in effect, but Beck knew a back way that would ensure they wouldn't get caught.

"Hey Beck, can I ask you something?" she asked once they arrived at the Garage.

"What is it?" he asked, stepping off his cycle.

"Does Able know about you?" she asked, walking with him. "Like, does he know about...?"

"He does," Beck nodded. "He's known since the first day, but he kept quiet about it. Him and Tron seem to have a history or something. Neither will explain how they know each other."

"So Able's the only other person who knows?" she asked.

_No,_ he thought, his mind flashing a picture of Cyrus.

"Sort of," he said out loud. "Able's the only one we trust who knows. Only another program knows that the real Tron is alive, but he hasn't tried anything against us yet. For the most part, all other programs assume I'm the real Tron."

"Can you blame us?" Mara asked. "You act like him, and you look like him...in the suit that is."

Beck gave a chuckle.

"I'm still learning," he responded. "And you will too. We'll start training tomorrow after work. Unless something pops up that demands our attention."

"I'm guessing that's what's going to happen?" Mara asked.

"It's common in our line of work," Beck answered as they reached the lift that led to the sleeping quarters. "You know that at any time you can quit if it gets too much for you to handle."

Mara shook her head as she felt the lift move.

"I'm not backing out. Not now, not ever," she responded. "I'll repeat it a hundred times if I must, but I'm done letting another program step in on my home and threaten it. I'll give everything I've got, and then some."

Beck smiled. He was still nervous for her well-being, but he couldn't stop her even if he wanted to.

"If there were more programs like you, we'd have a mighty army," he commented.

"There are programs like me out there," she responded. "We just have to find them."

The lift doors opened, and without needing to say a word, the two understood that the conversation was over. Talking about it openly would only draw attention, and could potentially put the two in danger. They walked off to their rooms after bidding goodnight. While Beck fell asleep rather quickly, Mara was left awake, staring out at the city she loved with all her heart. She looked to where C.L.U.'s statue stood; the field that was once theirs to play games on. Instantly, Bodhi's death came to mind, and it made her angry.

_I may not have been able to do anything then. But Tron and Beck have given me the opportunity to do so,_ she thought as she went to her bed. _And I won't let them down. There's still so much I don't know, but I can wait. So long as I can cause trouble for C.L.U., I can wait._


	2. Making the News

**This chapter is a little more rushed, but it will also introduce Mara as the new Renegade (or the second Renegade, depending on if the programs believe Beck is the real Tron and not an imposter).**

**I don't own _Tron Uprising._**

* * *

Tron didn't call them in, leaving Beck and Mara to their work. It was only when they were working beside Zed that the female program thought of how to avoid Zed about her new status. Obviously, Beck hadn't told Zed, or else Mara would have known. The idea of excluding her friend from the secret didn't sit well with her, but there wasn't anything she could do against it. It was for his safety, after all.

It was halfway through her work day when Beck walked up to her, his eyes conveying the urgency that the rest of him wouldn't reveal. He moved closer, making sure no other program would hear. Mara did a look around just to be sure, and found the two alone.

"Tesler's men are in downtown rounding up more programs for the Games," Beck explained in a hushed tone. "We need to go, now."

"Okay," Mara nodded, nervous about her first mission as the new Renegade, but excited all the same. "What about Able?"

"He'll know we're off once he sees we're gone," Beck responded. "I'll talk to him after, don't worry."

Mara nodded once more, and followed Beck out of the garage without getting noticed. Beck had practiced it by now that he could teach others to get out undetected. They found a safe alleyway to hide in and changed into their forms: Beck in his Tron suit and Mara in her Renegade suit. Once in their disguises, the two of them used their light cycles to head for that part of the city. They arrived just as the light rail took off.

"Follow me," Beck ordered, taking off for the light rail.

"What are we going to do?" Mara shouted over the roar of the combined engines as they chased the transporter.

"Hop on the rail," Beck responded, getting his cycle parallel with the speeding rail.

"What?!" Mara demanded.

"Just trust me and do as I do," he ordered.

Without hesitance, he jumped from his cycle (reverting it back into a baton as he went) and onto the rail, grabbing on and waiting for Mara to do the same. The girl took in a deep breath to calm her nerves before mirroring the actions her friend had taken. She lined herself up with the rail and then jumped for it, taking the baton with her as she flew. She miscalculated, however, and almost missed the rail if it wasn't for Beck, who grabbed her hand and helped her hold onto the side of the rail. Embarrassed to have failed something so early, she lowered her head a little.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"We can't focus on that, we gotta get these programs out of here," Beck responded.

"Right," she responded. "Where are they hidden?"

"We'll check the back cart and make our way up from there," Beck answered, climbing to the top of the rail's car.

Mara nodded at the back of his head and followed him, struggling a bit with the motion. She squatted next to him and watched as he cut the roof of the car. Once open, he jumped through and Mara followed close behind. The trapped programs were in the car, and they looked surprised when they saw Tron and the Renegade. Murmurs went throughout the car, commenting on the fact that the Renegade looked different.

"We're here to let you free," Beck announced. "Do you know if there's more on the rail?"

"No, just us," a program spoke up, his voice in slight awe.

"Good," Beck responded, turning his head towards Mara. "Renegade, go and cut the line."

"Right," Mara responded, disguising her voice like she had when teamed up with Rasket and Moog.

She went to the wall and cut a hole, giving her access to the joints. Without hesitance, she began to cut the line. She was a little surprised when sparks flew at her, but she moved past it and continued her work. In short time, it was cut, and the car began to move slower than the rest of the rail. Mara turned back to Beck, waiting for further instructions, but he was missing. Thinking quickly, she climbed to the top of the roof and found Beck kneeling, watching the rest of the rail disappear.

"That was easy," she commented.

"Hm. It was," Beck responded.

Almost on cue, the sounds of a light copter sounded, making Mara jump from surprise. Beck whirled towards the sound immediately, his disc out and ready to strike. Mara pulled out her own disc, getting it ready for battle. Masked programs appeared out of the copter and landed on the rail car, all brandishing their discs.

"Stay close," Beck whispered.

"I've been in disc fights before," Mara responded back. "I'll keep my own."

Beck gave a curt nod before he launched himself at Tesler's men, throwing the first metaphorical punch. Two of the masked programs approached Mara, and she went on the attack quickly, managing to knock off one of the programs. The other was knocked out after a well-placed fist to his face. Looking over to her teammate, she found that Beck had already beat up the guards that had tried to stop him. The copter retreated, leaving Beck, Mara, and the stilled car, along with the knocked out programs.

"It'll report back to Tesler," Beck informed her. "And when it does, he'll know that Tron and a Renegade have teamed up."

Mara smiled behind her visor, hearing the smugness in Beck's tone.

"I wish I could see the look on his face when he hears it," she responded.

* * *

"Tron and the Renegade have teamed _up?_" Tesler demanded, growling out the last word.

"That is what I saw, sir," the masked program reported.

"Hmmm. Impossible, isn't it?" Pavel, the sneaky little trouble-maker he was, said with an almost satisifed look on his face. "I thought that this Tron wannabe _was_ the Renegade?"

"He is," Tesler growled; it was a clear warning for Pavel to wipe the smirk off his face. "It seems there's another Renegade causing trouble."

"Clu won't like this news one bit," Pavel responded with his smirk widening.

Paige, annoyed with her colleague's behavior, gives her general a reassuring glance.

"Don't worry sir," she said. "I'll handle this new Renegade."

"See to it Paige," Tesler ordered. "I will not be made a fool of in my city."

Paige bowed at her general before leaving the room. Even if there was a new Renegade, he wouldn't stand up to Tesler's army; she'd be sure of it.

* * *

Able always kept an eye on the news ever since he suspected of Beck's dual life. It was his way of keeping him safe. The owner of the garage still didn't agree with Tron about choosing Beck as the next Tron, but it was a decision that had merit. And plus, without Beck, Argon City would be in great peril without a protector to keep it safe from Tesler's hands.

It was as he was scrolling through the news that he came across the latest alert. What caught his attention was the video-image of Beck, in his Tron disguise, fighting Tesler's masked men, along with another program who was bearing Tron's symbol. He studied the image for a while longer before he dropped the holo-pad. He ran a hand over his eyes and took a shaky breath.

A new Renegade. Tron had picked another Renegade to fight.

Needing to clear his mind of the latest discovery, Able walked out of his office and looked around the garage. He found Zed working hard on a light cycle. What peeked Able's interest was the fact that Zed was working alone. Normally, Mara would be working beside him while Beck was off (and when the program was around to do his job, he would be found working close by to his friends as well).

"Where's the other two?" Able asked, walking over to his worker.

Zed shrugged, continuing his work. He tried to look as nonchalant as possible, but inside, he was angry as well as curious. Where _had_ Mara and Beck gone to? And why wasn't he allowed to know?

"Dunno. They were here earlier today working, but then they suddenly disappeared," Zed responded.

It took only a millisecond for the information to sink in before everything clicked. Able held back an angry sigh, and instead nodded at Zed.

"Alright. I need to head out for the day. While I'm away, you're in charge," Able said, making his way to the opening.

"Uhhh, sure," Zed responded, slightly surprised by the sudden transfer of power.

"Oh, and if you see those two," Able added, craning his head back to look at Zed, "tell them I want to have a word with them."

Zed nodded.

"Sure thing boss," the program answered before focusing back on his work.

Activating his light cycle, he sped off for the Outlands, heading for the one place little-to-no programs knew about.

* * *

When he arrived, he immediately sought out the owner of the hideaway. He had only been to the place once, to install the Healing Chamber. It was that very same chamber that he found Tron. Said program stepped out of the healing bath, his coding glowing bright before being covered up.

"Is there a reason you're here unannounced?" Tron asked.

"You recruited Mara into this?!" Able demanded. "How many more of my workers are you just going to take?"

"I didn't recruit her," Tron responded back calmly; he had already prepared himself for Able's wrath.

The answer stumped Able.

"Come again?" he questioned.

"Beck did, after he found her and her cohorts tagging every piece of surface with 'Tron Lives'," Tron explained, heading out of the chamber room and for the main room.

Able followed, looking a little more calm than when he had arrived.

"And you just let him?" Able questioned.

"He will be the one leading this revolution," Tron answered. "He needs to hand pick his army, and he chose her as his first recruit."

"I still don't like this," Able responded. "They're young programs. Beck had natural talent, I'll give you that. But Mara's never been in situations like him."

"Which is why she isn't to perform a mission alone," Tron responded. "I understand your need to keep them safe, but they're not as young as we assume. They have even more of a reason to fight than us old programs do. We have to trust them."

"It's not that I don't trust them," Able stated. "It's just that I don't want them to get hurt."

Tron had no response for that. A few moments of silence expanded between the two programs, which was broken by Able.

"I guess there's no way I can talk either of them out of this. Beck's already committed, and Mara has been ever since Beck took on his status as the Renegade," Able said with a sigh. "I don't like it, but there isn't much I can do."

Tron nodded his head in agreement; for better or worse, Mara was a Renegade.

"Well this was a waste of time," Able sighed, running a hand down his face. "I'm still having a talk with the two of them about this."

Tron shrugged.

"I'm sure Beck's already prepared himself for it," he responded.

"Tesler must be climbing the walls at Mara's appearance," Able stated, a small smile appearing.

"That's what I'm counting on," Tron nodded, heading for his super-computer. "I want him to get afraid."

"Just don't use the two as cannon fodder," Able said. "They're still programs."

Tron sent Able a small glare, but he didn't make a retort. Able wasn't attacking his character; he was expressing his concern over the two programs who were like his children. Figuring that was the end of the visit, Able left the hideout and headed back into Argon City. He arrived in no time, waving off the questions from his workers. Instead, he sought out Zed, who was still hard at work. This time, Mara and Beck were with him, and the two looked a little guilty.

"Mara, Beck. A word with the both of you," Able called out, getting their attention. "In my office."

The two programs followed their boss into his office, and stood at his desk while he sat in his chair. Mara looked rather uncomfortable, but Beck looked calm.

"I'm guessing you've figured it out," Beck said, trying to make a joke of it.

"Yes, I did. Any reason why I wasn't informed of this earlier?" Able questioned, leaning back in his chair.

"You were asleep and we were at work?" Mara answered, though it sounded more like a question than an actual answer.

"Listen, I was the-"

"Yes, I know you were the one who recruited her," Able cut in. "I already went over that with Tron. Do you two realize the gravity of the situation?"

"Able, I know you don't think I can do this, but I'm ready to fight for my home and city," Mara responded, her voice filled with determination.

Able sighed inwardly; that was what he was expecting. What Mara lacked in skills she made up for in heart.

"I know you are," Able responded calmly. "I just want you two to know the choices you've made."

"We do," Beck responded. "And don't worry, we'll be careful."

_For your sakes, you'd better,_ Able thought.

"Just make sure this doesn't interfere with your work schedule," Able said instead.

"We'll try," Mara said at the same time that Beck responded with, "No promises."

The answers made Able sigh for the umpteenth time.


	3. State of Mind

**I'm sorry for making all of you wait for the next chapter. It took me a while to get around to watching Episode 15, and I was also working with other stories, and on top of that, school and work were tiring me out. I hope the next chapter won't take as long to write up.**

* * *

Beck could feel the glare Mara was giving him as he went about his work. He knew she was annoyed with him, but he didn't want to draw attention to it. It had something to do with the Renegade, and it was not something Beck wanted to talk about, especially not in the public setting.

Mara was not of the same mindset.

"When are you going to teach me how to fight better?" she demanded, keeping her voice low.

Beck looked around, and found that no one was close enough to eavesdrop on them.

"Soon," Beck responded. "We've been busy with Tesler's men, as you know."

"I know, and I'm getting better at fighting since dealing with them, but I still want to learn from you," Mara responded before lowering her voice a little more, "and Tron."

"You will, don't worry," Beck responded, going back to his work. "Trust me; the work-outs are harder than they sound."

"Which I'm excited for," Mara said with her eyes bright with anticipation.

"Hey, guys," Zed called, effectively ending their private conversation. "Did you hear about what happened?"

"Haven't heard anything. Is it bad?" Beck asked, stopping his work again to face his friend.

"Some pile-ups are happening throughout Argon," Zed answered. "Pretty strange, huh?"

"How many is some?" Beck asked, getting a suspicious feeling in his coding.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Mara's face displaying a similar sense of suspicion.

"I've only heard of four being reported so far. And they're pretty big pile-ups," Zed answered, heading for his station. "Today doesn't seem like a good day to be on the roads."

Beck gave a low hum, sharing a quick glance with Mara. She returned it, before getting back to her work. They'd discuss the matter later.

* * *

When break time came around, Mara and Beck stayed behind, waving away Zed when he went into the rec. room.

"So are we going to go investigate?" she asked.

"I am," he responded.

"Alone?" Mara demanded, sounding miffed about his answer.

"You stay here and keep an image until Tron or I need you," Beck answered, taking a careful step back from Mara. "We can't let everyone get suspicious this early on."

"Fine," Mara sighed, crossing her arms to indicate her annoyance with the decision.

Beck ran out of the garage without another word, getting away before Mara could disobey his order. Mara frowned at his retreat, annoyed that she'd be left behind, but inwardly she agreed that it was important to keep up an image. So she went and took her break, finding Zed eating by himself.

"Where'd Beck run off to?" Zed asked.

"Able sent him off to deliver a light-cycle," Mara lied.

"He seems to be disappearing on us a lot," Zed commented.

"It's probably for a good reason," Mara defended.

"And what reason would that be? It's so important and a secret that he can't tell his friends?" Zed countered, letting his aggravation over the situation leak into his words.

"I'm sure whatever it is, he'll tell us in due time," Mara responded, trying to calm down her friend.

"Right," Zed muttered, no longer interested in the conversation.

Mara frowned at her friend's behavior, but went back to her station to continue her work. She didn't know what was Zed's problem, but she didn't want to get into it with him; she didn't want to accidentally reveal the secret to him. Zed returned to his station a few mili-cycles after she had arrived. They worked on their cycles in a tense silence, which was broken by Bartik and Hopper walking up to Zed. Mara sent the two programs a glare, but continued her work, listening to their conversation.

"So we're heading to the club, and then a party at the square. Tesler's hosting it," Hopper explained. "You in?"

"Sure," Zed shrugged. "I don't have anything else planned tonight."

"You're going to go to a party that Tesler's hosting?" Mara demanded of her friend.

"Didn't you hear me just agree?" Zed responded.

"You can't do that," she argued.

"Of course I can," Zed replied. "Watch me."

He stood up at that point, and followed Hopper and Bartik, leaving a worried Mara behind.

* * *

Mara only stayed in the garage for a few more hours, before she left and headed for Tron's hideout. She didn't bother to tell Able she was leaving; she'd tell him later. When she arrived at the residence in the Outlands, she found Tron alone, standing before his giant mainframe.

"I thought you were with Beck?" Tron questioned when he saw her walk in.

"He's investigating the accidents. I just came here to see if there was anything I could do to help," Mara answered, feeling edgy.

"He's already sent me the data that he picked up from the wreck. I'm isolating what reason Tesler would have for crashing over seven tankers," Tron answered. "Beck said he was going to investigate where the tanks came from."

"Then I'm going to head to the Square," Mara piped up. "Tesler's throwing a party and...and Zed's there. I don't know what Tesler's up to, but I want Zed out of the way."

Tron was silent after her response, looking at her with a calculated look in his eyes, but he finally nodded.

"Go, and be careful. It may be in your best interest not to go as the Renegade," Tron stated.

Mara hesitated before she nodded.

"I understand."

She had really wanted to go as the Renegade, but she saw his point. What if it was a trap for Tron and the Renegade? Going as a citizen would let her move more freely. With a final nod to Tron, she left the hideout, wondering briefly how well Beck was doing on his end.

* * *

Finding Zed was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. The party was already in full swing by the time she arrived. If it wasn't for the fact that it was Tesler who was hosting the party, she'd say she liked the music. She had arrived just as a weird dust looking particles began to fill the Square. Not trusting the particles, she raised her visor, protecting her from it. She moved through the crowd with relative ease, pausing momentarily to glare at the words CLU in disgust. She paused again when she noticed something flying over them, and guessed that was the source from where the gas had come from.

_I wonder if Beck's up there,_ she thought before she saw it heading away from the Square. _Maybe he is._

She continued to search for Zed in the large crowd, and eventually found him somewhere close to where the DJs were playing. He looked uninterested with Hopper and Bartik, the latter who was telling a joke.

"Zed!" Mara called.

"Mara?" Zed asked in surprise, turning to look at her. "What are you doing here? I didn't think you'd come."

"I'm here to get you away from here," Mara answered, wrapping her hand around his forearm and jerking him away from the two other programs.

"What? No. I'm actually enjoying myself here," Zed protested, though he wasn't able to get out of Mara's grip.

"I'm sure you are, but this gas isn't good for your health," Mara argued.

"We feel fine," Hopper piped up.

"Yeah, well that's just you," the female program shot back. "Now let's go Zed."

"Mara, no," Zed responded, managing to stop her from dragging him away. "I'm not as involved with the Renegade thing like you are."

"Zed, don't you understand! This party, Tesler is doing something and he's using the party as a means to-"

"Mara, enough with your conspiracy theories! It's just going to get you into a lot of trouble," Zed snapped. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Mara felt touched by the response. Even if her friend was bitter with her, it seemed clear that he still cared about her as his friend.

"And I don't want you to get hurt," Mara responded, pulling him again, "which is why we're leaving."

"Ma-" Zed was cut off by a far off explosion. The cheering crowd died down, and the programs looked at one another in confusion. The music had even cut out. "What was that?"

Mara smiled, hiding her inward worry for Beck.

"That was Tron," Mara answered. "Saving the day like he always does."

Zed frowned in displeasure, but he didn't snap at her. The C.L.U. signs were still up and going, but the crowd was no longer cheering for him like they had been when she'd first arrived. She saved the observation to bring up to Tron and Beck later, once she got Zed back to the Garage.

"C'mon Zed," Mara prompted with a smile. "Looks like the party's over."

"It must be," Zed muttered after a while, letting himself be walked out of the Square and for the Garage.

Mara attempted to start conversation with her friend, and he participated, but it wasn't like how it used to be; from before C.L.U. arrived.

* * *

"How was the party?" Beck asked when he saw Mara arrive at the hideout. "Tron told me you went to it."

"It was a total failure," Mara answered with a smile. "The party-goers left dissatisfied. I did notice something while I was there, though."

"And what would that be?" Tron questioned.

"The crowd was cheering for the C.L.U. propaganda when I got there, but when the gas dissipated and from whatever Beck did, the crowd died down," Mara answered. "By the way, what did you do?"

"Crashed the airship into a tower," Beck shrugged.

"Are you okay?"

"I made it out alright, yeah?" Beck questioned with a cheeky grin.

Mara rolled her eyes at his response, and looked over to Tron, just as Beck did.

"So Tron, do you have an idea on what it was?" Beck questioned.

"I have an idea, but I won't know anything until we find the scientist that made the substance you found at the thanks, and the gas at Argon Square," Tron explained.

"So we'll have to wait," Beck commented.

"Well in the meantime," Mara said, "Beck, do you still have the cycle the Renegade 'borrowed' from Zed?"

Beck blinked at her before giving her a curt nod.

"Yeah," he answered. "Why?"

"I think there's a certain mechanic who'd like it back," Mara continued with a smirk.

Beck caught on to what she meant, and nodded his head in understanding.

"I think it's been away from its owner for too long," he said.

"Indeed," she agreed.

Tron just stood in the background, not understanding what the young programs were talking about. He decided to just chalk it up to them being young and not making sense, and went back to his mainframe to get some work done while the two programs left for the Garage.


End file.
